Alex Jackson's ultimate squid recipe

Since opening its doors in 2016, Francophiles have flocked to London restaurant Sardine for a taste of Alex Jackson’s take on Provençal cooking. Despite hailing from Birmingham, summers spent in the South Of France, combined with his mother’s formidable cookbook collection, ignited in Jackson a deep respect for rustique French recipes that favour substance over style. That’s right, you won’t find try-hard tuiles or a drizzle of decorative jus in Jackson’s first recipe book, just simple dishes that delight in honest ingredients – from a tin of new-season olive oil to earthy Aix-En-Provence porcini or freshly picked coco de Paimpol beans – and encourage home cooks to follow suit. Jackson’s recipes are made to savour, share and enjoy over a soupçon of French pastis.

Most Mediterranean cooking is dictated by the freshest market finds, so it makes sense that the book is divided by season. At the end of each section you’ll find a “Grande Bouffe” – a set menu celebrating the finest flavours of each quarter. If you were waiting for something to reignite your love of Provençal cooking, we recommend Jackson’s squid and broad beans en papillote. You can thank us later.

1tsp grated zest and the juice of half an orange (a blood orange is preferable)

A few splashes of white wine

4tbsp butter

Method

Preheat your oven to 220C (fan 200C/gas mark 7). Prepare the squid (clean, cut off the tentacles, remove the eyes and mouth, slip out the bone and rinse well). Cut the body into 5mm strips and the tentacles in half.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and plunge the broad beans in for one minute. Then transfer to a bowl of iced water to stop them cooking. Drain and set aside.

Cut four pieces of parchment paper (60cm x 35cm) and fold each in half to double the thickness. Leaving a border of 5cm on all sides, drizzle the top of the paper lightly with olive oil.

First, lay the monk’s beard (or other greens) onto one side of the oiled paper. Season the squid and arrange on top. Scatter over the blanched beans (or peas), herbs, chilli and orange zest. Splash a glug of wine and the orange juice over each parcel. Nestle the butter in with the other ingredients and then lightly drizzle with more olive oil.

Bring the paper over the squid and roll up the unsealed edge to form a parcel. Fold over and crease the edges three times on all sides. Without squashing the ingredients, press down to seal well.

Place the pouches on a tray and bake for 8 minutes in the oven. Transfer the parcels to individual plates and encourage your guests to dive in.